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“It’s about who?” Bucky crossed his arms. The last movie marathon he’d had hadn’t gone so well (Vampires were all well and good, but in his day, they didn’t sparkle. That had turned into the largest time suck of his life- and that was taking into account that he’d just been introduced to YouTube. And just for the record, it was Team Jacob- all the way.).
“No,” Darcy said smugly, “the Doctor.”
Steve looked confused. “Doctor who?”
Darcy nodded, completely satisfied that she’d actually gotten someone to ask that. “Yes.”
Steve sighed. He was trying to sound as patient as possible but he hated having conversations that went in circles. “Darce, you’re not making any sense, hon.”
“Just wait,” Darcy promised, “you’ll be talking just like me, very, very soon.”
Bucky looked a bit concerned. “I don’t know if I want to watch anymore…”
Darcy shoved a bowl full of butter popcorn into his arms. “Oh don’t be a baby, it’ll be fun!”
“The last time I watched a movie marathon I regretted it,” Bucky replied with a small scowl. Darcy would never tell him this, but he sort of looked like Grumpy Cat whenever he did that.
“That,” she said with disgust, “was NOT my fault. I told you not to watch those. Didn’t I tell you not to watch those? Jarvis, didn’t I tell him not to watch those?”
“She did tell you not to watch those, Sargent Barnes.” Jarvis responded calmly. He’d never admit it, but Jarvis liked that Darcy included him in her conversations.
Darcy nodded once and huffed. “I totally told you not to watch those. Not my fault. Also, this is a TV show- a 50 year old TV show.”
Thor looked a bit sheepishly at her, “In my defense, I was not there for said speech, little sister.”
“And you’ve suffered enough for your mistake, which is why I’m not berating you.” Darcy handed him a couple of boxes of Pop-tarts and some packets of Oreos. “This marathon will be better- promise.”
Thor smiled widely at her. “I am looking forward to it.”
“Good! Now, allons-y!”
Steve and Bucky turned as one to look at her. Bucky smiled. “I didn’t know you spoke French, doll.”
Darcy smiled back, “I don’t.” She said before walking past them down the hall into the screening room.
Darcy decided to start them out with Eleven. Personally, she loved all of the incarnations of the Doctor, but that’s probably because she saw them all more as one man’s story arch than twelve (and one half, depending on how you counted) separate characters. Each new actor brought something new to the role, and to the evolution of the character. If you watched each one in succession you started to get an idea of the man called the Doctor. Darcy loved dissecting his character because he was a man full of such curiosity, goodness, rage, regret, and darkness. That being said, she knew Eleven’s goofball persona would be a good place to start. Ten was another great one (as was nine- he was seriously underrated) but that story arch seemed a little too serious to start with for the boys. She decided to show them a few episodes just to ease them into it and get them hooked- then she’d go back to Nine and show them all of the series reboot before taking them back through classic episodes and the movie.
Darcy was right. Two episodes in the boys were hooked. She gave them the option of jumping around some more to different episodes or starting with Nine. They all agreed to start with Nine and work their way up to Twelve.
*
Hours later Tony walked in, coffee in hand, curious to see what they were watching. Tony could hear Steve from down the hall as he called, “Hey Jarvis, make the TARDIS sound!”
Jarvis gladly complied, the TARDIS parking break noise flooding into the room over the speakers. He even flashed the lights.
Bucky laughed. “Can we make that the new doorbell?”
Thor’s voice came after. “What is this bell you speak of? And how would one make it out of doors?”
Tony smiled before Darcy’s confused question rang out. “…We have a doorbell?”
“No.” Tony said as he walked in. “We don’t.”
“Can we make that the new elevator sound?” Bucky asked again.
*
Tony was in his lab running some new simulations with Jarvis when Jane walked in looking a little flustered. “Hey Foster, what’s up?” Tony asked.
“Have you seen my assistant or my boyfriend?” She asked, looking a little twitchy.
Tony paused. That seemed like that should be a question that could end in tears. At least, it would be if he didn’t know the two missing people in question so well.
“Jarvis has just informed me that it’s Monday… I haven’t seen them since Friday,” Jane explains. “At least, I think it was Friday.”
Tony could swear he saw Jane’s right eye twitch involuntarily. He wondered when the last time she had slept was. Or eaten. Offering her an open box of Cheez-Its Tony waited until the woman took it and began eating. Nodding, Tony put his hands in his pockets as he strolled toward the doors. “Come on, I think I’ve got an idea of where they are.”
Riding the elevator up to the common living areas, Tony’s eyes crinkled in humor as the TARDIS’s parking break sound rang out just before the doors opened, announcing they had arrived.
Jane ducked in alarm. “What was that?”
“Just Jarvis making one of the super soldiers happy,” Tony responded casually. “Come on.”
Jane followed him as he stepped off the elevator. “Where are we going?” she asked as they passed the common living room.
“They’re probably in the screening room.”
Jane stopped walking. Tony turned to look at her- a surprised look on her face. “We have a screening room?”
Tony shrugged with more than a bit of feigned indifference. “I had it put in.” Contrary to popular belief, the man didn’t always like to crow about things, especially when they were nice little things he did for his friends.
“When?”
“A couple of weeks ago.”
“Where was I?” Jane wondered aloud, questioning how she could have missed construction on a new room in a shared area.
Tony shrugged again, this time out of sincere thought. “Science?” Reaching for the door, Tony held it open for Jane.
They walked in just as Thor was commenting on the box sets in his hands, “So many adventures in such tiny boxes.”
“It’s bigger on the inside, buddy,” Steve said reassuringly.
Bucky snickered.
Tony and Jane stared at the men sitting on the couch. Bucky was wearing a brown fedora and Steve had a pair of red and blue 3-D movie glasses on. Both of them were sharing a striped scarf, each end wrapped around each super soldier’s neck. Thor was wearing a bow tie and fez. Darcy was sleeping soundly across the three of them, her head in Bucky’s lap, thighs on Steve’s, and feet on Thor’s.
Noticing they’d come in, all three men turned to look at Tony and Jane.
“Thor… why are wearing a bow tie?” Jane asked, confused.
“Bow ties are cool, dearest.” Thor responded seriously.
“Uh huh…” Jane nodded. “I have so many questions, but the top one is, what’s that on your head?”
Steve and Bucky both snorted in laughter at Jane’s unintentional quote. Darcy had told them she’d yet to get the scientist to watch the show which just made Jane’s question even funnier.
“It’s a fez. I wear a fez now. Fezzes are also cool,” Thor again responded, his face grave.
“Have you guys been at this since Friday?” Jane asked. Now she knew how Darcy felt when she found Jane hadn’t taken a break from sciencing for days on end.
“Yes, beloved,” Thor responded. “The saga of the Doctor is a long tale full of joy and woe.”
Tony shook his head. “You guys need to stop making these marathon binges a habit… do you have any idea how much time has past?”
Steve and Bucky looked at each other and shrugged. Steve looked back at him. “People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint- it’s more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly… timey wimey… stuff.”
Tony sighed. Of course Steve could quote it after only one viewing. Super soldier super memory. “Of course it is. Everyone knows that. And let me guess, you haven’t blinked once.”
Bucky ignored Tony’s sarcasm. “Hey Stark,” he asked, “Why haven’t you built a TARDIS yet?”
“Yeah Tony,” Darcy said lazily around a yawn, alerting everyone that she’d woken up. She stretched on the men before continuing. “You’re already a madman- all you need is a box. But of course we’d call it the JARVIS.”
Jarvis chimed in. “Will there be a bulb on top, Miss?”
“Of course, J.” Darcy smiled.
Tony smiled despite himself. “I’d make a pretty cool Doctor. The role’s been begging for a man in a pair of ripped jeans and band t-shirts.”
Jane sighed, “I’m not understanding any of this.”
Thor smiled at her. “Come and sit with us, dearest, and we will show you the tales of the Doctor.”
Jane and Tony both sat down on the couches with the others, passing around boxes of Pop-tarts as Jarvis played them another episode.
*
Hours later Clint, Natasha, Sam, and Bruce wandered in and found them. Tony was wearing a coat with red lining and at some point Jane had acquired the Fez from Thor’s head.
Sam looked at Darcy. “Where’s your Doctor flair, Darcy?”
Darcy pulled out a sonic screwdriver replica and pointed it at him before smiling.
“It still doesn’t have a setting for wood, though.” Tony pointed out.
“You know what else it can’t do?” She asked back sweetly. “Order food.”
“Right,” Tony said. “Jarvis-“
“NO SHAWARMA!” Everyone shouted at the same time.
“Honestly,” Tony huffed. “What is with you people? Shawarma is delicious. But for your information, I was going to suggest fish fingers and custard.” A couch cushion smacked him in the face. “Kidding! Kidding! Jarvis, how about putting in a call for some Thai, buddy?”